The Ultimate Phnom Penh Travel Guide

Phnom Penh (pronounced Pa-nom Pen) is the capital of Cambodia and the epicentre of Cambodia’s economy. Home to 2.3m people, Phnom Penh is like any other capital city where the populations of the extremely poor and rich living side by side. We found Phnom Penh to be a great place to start your Cambodian trip as it’ll allow you to slowly immerse yourself into Cambodian culture; believe me, wherever you come from, you’ll get a culture shock! 

This Ultimate Phnom Penh Travel Guide 2023 will provide you with everything you need to know to get the most out of your visit to Phnom Penh. 

Disclaimer: Some of the links included on our website may contain affiliate links. We may receive some commission from purchases made via these but it will NOT affect the price you pay. This is to allow this site to stay online and ensure that readers use, what we believe, are the best products possible whilst travelling.

Cambodian Visa 

There are two ways of getting a Cambodia visa; before entry or on arrival.

You can apply for a Cambodian visa via the Cambodian government’s website. A visa costs $30 plus a $6 processing fee per visa; it takes between three and seven days for your application to be processed.

The Cambodian government has also reinstalled the Visa On Arrival service for all international travellers. However, foreign nationals are not guaranteed a visa on arrival as the government reserves the right to deny entry to individuals that do not meet all the Cambodian visa requirements.

Check out our 13 Top Tips for Travelling Cambodia in 2022 for more information on getting a Cambodian visa in both instances.

How to get to Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is incredibly easy to get to both internationally and domestically. It has great links with many other Southeast Asian cities, such as Bangkok and Seoul. This means that if you’re coming from afar, you’ll likely have to change in one of these bigger airports to get to Phnom Penh. Alternatively, if you’re in Southeast Asia already, you’ll likely be able to get a direct flight. 

Domestically, Phnom Penh is the hub of all transport. No matter where you are in Cambodia, it’s almost certain that you can take a direct bus to Phnom Penh. 

Make sure to visit https://bookmebus.com as this is by far the best way to book transport around Cambodia. You can get a taxi or rent a private shuttle here but it’ll be more expensive and just as bumpy. 

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

If you love the hustle and bustle of a city, you’re going to love Phnom Penh because it is exactly that. Due to the route we took, we ended up staying in Phnom Penh for seven days on three different occasions. As we’ve explained in The Perfect Month Itinerary for Cambodia in 2022, you may need to visit Phnom Penh more than once; but less of that here, visit our post for more information. 

So Phnom Penh; we’d recommend visiting for at least three days in order to get acclimatised to the culture and heat. This will also give you time to visit everything Cambodia’s capital has to offer. As always, you can stay a day or two longer if you’re enjoying the feel of the city.

Best time to visit: January/February 

When we visited in February, we found it to be the ideal time as the temperature was bearable (around 30C) and no way near as hot as it could be in April/May (40C). We did end up finding Phnom Penh to be one of the hottest places in Cambodia; we put this down to how built-up the city is. As such, visiting Phnom Penh in January will be a great time to visit.

We didn’t visit in the rainy season so it rarely rained and if it did, it was only for 5 minutes. It is worth noting that mosquitos are notoriously bad during the rainy season so visiting at this time will mean you escape the worst. However, they’re still incredibly annoying. But we know that anytime between November and April will absolutely suffice and you’ll have an amazing time! 

Where to stay:

Mad Monkey Hostel

_{204/30 Moo 1 T.Ko Phangan Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280}

We ended up staying in the Sangkat Boeng Kent Kang Ti Muoy part of Phnom Penh and Mad Monkey Hostel specifically. The area was amazing and we really enjoyed staying here. One of the main reasons was that there were so many different cuisines in the neighbourhood which meant our food options were unlimited. We’re massive foodies so this was a great bonus. The area is also not far from many of the city’s main attractions in the North; you’ll still have to get a tuk-tuk (which is incredibly easy).

We enjoyed staying here so much that we stayed three times; we came here straight off the plane, after Battambang and again before we flew out of Cambodia. It has a great reputation for being a party hostel so if you’re up for meeting people, this is the place to be; there are always people hanging by the pool or on the benches. One of the reasons we enjoyed it so much we’re the staff; Suppon, Pun and Raksmey were a great laugh and we got on very well (as you can see). 

The hostel also had a restaurant and it was amazing and really well priced. As a lot of Europeans/Americans stay here, it has good quality western food; you won’t be disappointed in the club sandwich or pasta bake. Having said that, it also does good and well-priced Khmer cuisine. We’ve found it was also the best place to meet people; there is always someone hanging in the common area and the hostel puts on a range of games in the evenings (including bar crawls). 

Ultimately if you’re going to Phnom Penh, we couldn’t recommend Mad Monkey enough as we had an absolute blast. Do make sure you book as far in advance as it is very popular! 

The Big Easy Hostel

_{4, Street 172, Chey Chumneas, Daun Penh Phnom Penh Municipality, 12206, Cambodia}

If you’re unable to book Mad Monkey or don’t think it’s for you, we’d recommend staying at The Big Easy Hostel. We personally haven’t stayed here but a number of the friends we met did and they said the rooms were very clean with big beds; they even had curtains which is great for privacy. They also noted that the breakfast was really, really good and it was a fun environment to be in. The hostel also plays English news and sports constantly on the tv so if you’re getting a little homesick, this is the place to be. 

Alternatively, if hostels aren’t your thing, we’d recommend staying in hotels if you’re travelling as/in a couple. Sometimes staying in a hotel can be just as cheap as staying in a hostel; plus, you can have your own space which is always a bonus! 

PATIO Hotel & Urban Resort

_{No.134Z, Street 51 (Paster), Group 68, Sangkat Beoung Keng I, Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia} 

We didn’t get the chance to stay at PATIO Hotel & Urban Resort but did walk past it a few times; the location seemed ideal and the reviews are really good so we were gutted to miss out. If we weren’t on a backpacker’s budget, we’d definitely stay here.

SOHO Residence

_{425, St.310, BKK2, Tuol Sleng Area, Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia} 

We also had friends who stayed at SOHO Residence and they spoke very highly of it. SOHO has both studios and apartments so this would be a great option if you plan on staying here a while. The apartments look particularly beautiful and you wouldn’t go wrong staying here!

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Speaking to other travellers, we’ve been advised not to stay in Chinatown in Phnom Penh; just something to bear in mind. 

Ultimately, we’re biased and think you should stay in the Sangkat Boeng Kent Kang Ti Muoy part of Phnom Penh because there is so much going on in the area.

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What to do:

Tuol Sleng/S21 Museum

_{រាជធានី, សង្កាត់​បឹង​កេងកង​៣ ខណ្ឌ​ចំការ​មន, St 113, Phnom Penh 12304, Cambodia}

• If you visit Phnom Penh, it’s inexcusable to not visit the S21 museum and learn about Cambodia’s recent past. 
• This museum is a former secondary school that was turned into a horrible prison by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s; before it was shut down, over 18,000 people were killed on this site. 
• The museum is open daily between 8 am and 5 pm and costs $5 per adult and $3 for children aged over 10; children under 10 visit free of charge. 
• We would thoroughly recommend getting a guide for your trip. You can get one at the museum and hope one is free. Most of the guides had family who was killed in this prison which is awful to hear about. Guides are advertised as being “free” but you really should tip them; it is worth having one as they’ll take you around and explain everything. 
• Once the prison was liberated, seven adults survived and five children. Of these 12, only five adults and four children are still alive; some of them have stalls within the museum where you can buy their books from. 
• Despite how harrowing and horrendous the place was, we were really glad we visited and it was good to learn about the country’s history; even if it was not that long ago. 

Killing Fields

_{ផ្លូវជើងឯក, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• Located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, the killing fields are also a must-visit! 
• In conjunction with the S21 museum, the physical remains of what the Khmer Rouge did was horrifying to see but we’re still glad we went. 
• Warning: the killing tree, central monument and mass cravings are extremely upsetting when you think about what they are and how recent everything all happened. 

In similarity with most other travellers, we ended up visiting both the S21 Museum and the Killing Fields all in one day. Granted, it is a lot to take in one day but many have the same thought process of doing it all in one go. Tuk-tuk drivers know this as well so you can hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you to both places on the same day. We did this and it cost us about $15-$20 for the whole trip so it was worth it.

Viator has a tour HERE which includes both the Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields in the same deal if you’d prefer to take a private tour.

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Temples

• As Cambodia is over 97% Buddhist, there are understandably lots and lots of temples around the whole country however, those in Phnom Penh are particularly beautiful. 
• The temples we ended up seeing were Wat Phnom, The Golden Temple (our favourite) and the Royal Palace which included the Silver Pagoda. 
• For both male and female visitors, it is required that you’re appropriately dressed which means covering shoulders, midriffs, chest and knees.
• Be warned: as beautiful as temples are, it is not uncommon to get “templed out” and that’s okay. We’d absolutely recommend visiting a good few temples so make sure to prioritise the ones that you fancy visiting. 

Shopping Centres/Malls

_{Samdach Sothearos Blvd (3), Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• The other great thing about Southeast Asian countries is that due to recent development, many are awash with shopping malls; Phnom Penh is no different. 
• AEON Mall, Olympia Mall & Sorya Center Point are the main ones we found and liked a lot; if you’re missing that little bit of Western culture, definitely check out a mall.
• As you’d expect, these malls will have every kind of shop you can think of; from a 7/11 to a pet shop, you name it! 
• The AEON Mall also has a cinema if you fancy catching up on the latest film. 

Markets

_{Central Market (ផ្សារ​ធំ​ថ្មី), Calmette St. (53), Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• In a similar vein but also in stark contrast to the malls, markets are all over Phnom Penh and they’re great for a nosey around. 
• Again, they’re full of everything under the sun; from (fake) sports tops to sunglasses and electronics, you’ll be able to find anything you want in these stalls. They’re really good if you want to find some culottes or small souvenirs to take back to your family and friends. 
• Central Market is the most notable of the markets (and a must-visit) but there are other markets that are well worth a visit. 
• We found Orussey Market, Russian Market and Toul Tom Poung Market to be particularly good. 
• You can also visit the Phnom Penh Night Market which you can read more about below! 

National Museum of Cambodia

_{Preah Ang Eng St. (13), Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• Unfortunately, we didn’t get round to visiting the National Museum of Cambodia ourselves and this is another on the list of regrets. 
• However, we would recommend that you visit as we’ve heard a lot of really good things from those who have visited. 
• The museum has the largest collection of Khmer art in the world as well as Khmer ceramics dating back to prehistoric times. 
• For an adult to visit the permanent exhibitions on levels 1 & 2 it is $15pp but $26pp for the special exhibitions. 
• If you like museums, art and want to learn more about Khmer history, this is your place to visit! 

Relaxing

• As you will find out below, there are some great places to relax in Phnom Penh if you’re at the end of your trip or just need a break from all the activities. 
• Whilst travelling is about seeing new places etc, tiredness and exhaustion will catch up on you pretty quickly and that’s okay. Just take the day or evening off and relax; switch off from everything, have a nap or go somewhere quiet and read your book. 

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Where to eat & drink:

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf BKK1

_{142, Street 51/302, Boeung Keng Kong 1, Khan Chamkarmon, 12302, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• We ended up stumbling across this place on our first day in Phnom Penh and it is the perfect place to chill; especially in the midday heat. 
• The best thing about this cafe, besides the comfy chairs and tranquillity, is the aircon. You may not appreciate it now but once you’re in Phnom Penh, you’ll realise it’s very humid/hot; this makes aircon essential. 
• Whilst the drinks are slightly on the expensive side for Phnom Penh, they’re very nice. We especially like the Lemon, Honey & Passion Ice Tea! 

Kungfu Kitchen

_{No. 24e, st 302, 7 village, Boeng Keng Kang 1 Khan Chamkarmorn Phnom Penh, 12302, Cambodia}

• Recommended to us by the staff at Mad Monkey, this Chinese restaurant is delicious and incredibly cheap! 
• We came here twice as we liked the food so much. We ended up with both noodle dishes, 15 piece dumplings and the sticky chicken; all of which were incredible and are making me hungry just thinking of it. 
• Absolutely must go if you’re in the vicinity and are a Chinese food lover. The staff are also really nice and the food menu is available in English. 

Burgershack 

_{Street 51 & Street 302, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• Does what it says on the tin; this glamorous shake produces really good burgers. 
• A must-visit if you’re craving something classic and don’t want to go to a chain restaurant. 
• The quality of the food is surprisingly good and very filling. 
• The price is also very reasonable as they do burgers, fries and a drink all in a package deal. 

Dakasi Boeung Keng Kang 1 

_{217c, 12302 Rue Pasteur No. 51, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• Opposite the coffee bean cafe (above), Dakasi is more of a grab n go type place; although there is some seating available. 
• The coffee here is really nice (otherwise it wouldn’t be on the list) and you even get to pick how much ice and how sweet you want your milk! 

HOWEVER

The best coffee we’ve found throughout Phnom Penh and the whole of Cambodia are the small coffee shacks that will randomly appear on the streets. This is because they never cost more than 6,000 riels and they taste as good as all the fancy coffee shops! 

Most will have a sign hanging from their stall or one on the road. You can end up seeing them late when driving in a tuk-tuk but don’t be afraid to ask your driver to stop so you can grab one. 

Juniper Gin Bar 

_{130, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• A beautiful rooftop bar that you HAVE to visit at sunset; the views over the city and river are beautiful. 
• To make things better, sunset normally coincides with happy hour (every day between 5-7 pm) where a handful of cocktails are available for just $3. 
• Not the end of the world if you don’t go for happy hour as drinks are only $4-$7 anyway.
• The street entrance doesn’t look big much but once you take the lift and then the stairs to the top floor, you really won’t be disappointed. 

Namaste India Restaurant

_{177 Street 63 Corner 294 Phnom Penh, 12302, Cambodia}

• Whilst there is one located on Bassac Lane, we ended up visiting its sister establishment nearby. 
• We absolutely LOVE an Indian restaurant and the food here was really good. 
• Whilst the food was really good and had a great selection of food, it was on the expensive side and you could find an Indian just as good but less expensive. If you do, please let us know in the comments below! 

Khmer Surin 

_{8e0 Street 57 Phnom Penh, 12302, Cambodia}

• This Khmer restaurant serves amazing traditional food. 
• It’s a great place to eat with your friends as the place is beautiful and the food is very affordable. 
• Again, it is only a stone’s throw away from Mad Monkey and in Sangkat Boeng Kent Kang Ti Muoy; so very walkable if you’re staying in this part of Phnom Penh. 
• The perfect place to go if you want to sample some of the local food but don’t fancy visiting a street stall. 

Phnom Penh Night Market 

_{Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• Whilst two-thirds of this market is predominantly clothes/item based, there is a small section dedicated to food.
• Lining the outside of the floor mats (which you sit on) are numerous stalls selling everything under the sun. 
• We ended up trying some vegetable spring rolls and tempura prawns; unfortunately, I only found out after they didn’t de-shell the prawns! 
• It is also very popular to drink coconut palm sugar in Thailand and it’s a very nice drink! Loads of stalls sell this drink here and if you’re going to try it anyway, we’d recommend trying it here. 
• Even if you don’t sample any of the food or drink, we’d recommend giving it a visit for the experience. 

Talking about traditional food, there are absolutely tons of street food carts that line pretty much every street in Phnom Penh. You can pretty much find anything traditional at these stalls; we weren’t brave enough to sample anything but definitely give it a try if you fancy something traditional. 

Backyard Cafe

_{11B Street 246, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• You’ll know by now we’re big fans of cute cafes and this is another one to add to the list. 
• More towards the “centre” of Phnom Penh, this cute cafe offers a great place to get out of the heat for some air-con and coffee. 
• We ended up visiting for some western-style brunch and it was very tasty and left us full (the ultimate goal).

Bassac Lane 

Bassac Lane needed its own section in our Phnom Penh travel guide as it has so many options all on one street. This lively lane is a great place to visit and similar to, although not as bustling as, Khaosan Road. 

Elia Greek Kitchen

_{12B Street 308 Phnom Penh, 12302, Cambodia}

• As you’ll know from our Ultimate Siem Reap Travel Guide, we visited the same restaurant in Siem Reap so we had to visit it here. 
• Although we ended up being boring and getting the same thing we got last time; the Souvlaki and Gyros. 
• The only difference this time was that we brought our friends along because we raved about it so much. This meant we did get to try the olives and had more sangria. Admittedly it wasn’t Spanish level of either but we’re not complaining.
• Thankfully, the food was just as good here so we left very satisfied!

Mama Wong’s Dumpling & Noodle House

_{Street 308, Sangkat Chaktomok, 12302, Cambodia}

• This had to be our favourite restaurant in the whole of Phnom Penh; the seating area get very authentic and it allowed for a great atmosphere. We put ourselves next to the kitchen hatch and it was very interesting watching the chefs cook. 
• The dumplings looked (and tasted) so good, we wished we ordered more. 
• However, to fill ourselves up, we had the pork belly noodle ramen and spicy chicken fried rice and we would hand down recommend both; it felt like fine dining without the price tag! 
• This is also a low key place to grab a really good cocktail. Baring Miss Wong’s Cocktail Bar in Siem Reap, this was the best cocktail we had in the whole of Cambodia. 
• Due to its position on Bassac Lane, it is also a great place for people-watching; our favourite activity! 

Mars Bar

_{M35 St 308, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}

• Unfortunately, they don’t sell the chocolate bar but this place is a VERY nice cocktail bar.
• It has seating areas both up and downstairs and the staff are super friendly. 
• The quality of the cocktails is on par with those back home and it was really enjoyable to sit and drink with friends here. 
• Whilst it was on the more expensive side, we’d recommend going for just one so you can get a feel for the place. 

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Phnom Penh is 100% worth staying around and exploring for a good few days; we found it a great place to slowly emerge ourselves into Cambodian culture to prepare you for the rest of the country. 

There you have it; our Phnom Penh Travel Guide, giving you all the best places to stay, eat and see BEFORE you visit so you won’t be left disappointed.

Feel free to add any of your recommendations in the comments!

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Disclaimer: Some of the links included on our website may contain affiliate links. We may receive some commission from purchases made via these but it will NOT affect the price you pay. This is to allow this site to stay online and ensure that readers use, what we believe, are the best products possible whilst travelling.